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Alexander I of Macedon
| spouse 1 =unknown | spouse 2 = | spouse 3 = | issue = Alcetas II Perdiccas II Prince Philip Prince Amyntas | royal house =(Ancient) Macedon | dynasty = Argead | royal anthem = | father = Amyntas I | mother =Queen Eurydice | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | religion =Ancient Greek religion }} Alexander I ( ) was ruler of Macedon c. 498 – 454 BC. Biography Alexander was the son of Amyntas I and Queen Eurydice. According to Herodotus, he was unfriendly to Persia, and had the envoys of Darius I killed when they arrived at the court of his father during the Ionian Revolt. However, he was forced to submit to Persia during the invasion of Greece by Darius' son Xerxes I, and he acted as a representative of the Persian governor Mardonius during peace negotiations after the Persian defeat at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC. Despite his cooperation with Persia, he frequently gave supplies and advice to the rest of the Greek city states, and warned them of Mardonius' plans before the Battle of Plataea in 479 BC. After the defeat in Plataea the Persian army, under the command of Artabazus tried to retreat all the way back to Asia Minor. Most of the 43,000 survivors were attacked and killed by the forces of Alexander at the estuary of the Strymon river. Alexander eventually regained Macedonian independence after the end of the Persian Wars. Alexander claimed descent from Argive Greeks and the demi-god Heracles, although Macedon was considered a "barbaric" state by some in Athens, whose territories were threatened by its expansion.Malcolm Errington, "A History of Macedonia", University of California Press, 1993, p.4: "Ancient allegations that the Macedonians were non-Greeks all had their origin in Athens at the time of the struggle with Philip II. Then as now, political struggle created the prejudice. The orator Aeschines once even found it necessary, in order to counteract the prejudice vigorously fomented by his opponents, to defend Philip on this issue and describe him at a meeting of the Athenian Popular Assembly as being 'Entirely Greek'. Demosthenes' allegations were lent an appearance of credibility by the fact, apparent to every observer, that the life-style of the Macedonians, being determined by specific geographical and historical conditions, was different from that of a Greek city-state. This alien way of life was, however, common to western Greeks of Epiros, Akarnania and Aitolia, as well as to the Macedonians, and their fundamental Greek nationality was never doubted. Only as a consequence of the political disagreement with Macedonia was the issue raised at all." After a court of Elean hellanodikai determined his claim to be true, he was permitted to participate in the Olympic GamesHerodotus 5.22Justin-7.2.14 possibly in 504 BCA History of Macedonia. Volume 2 Review: John Cole an honor reserved only for Greeks. He modeled his court after Athens and was a patron of the poets Pindar and Bacchylides, both of whom dedicated poems to Alexander.Thucydides and Pindar: Historical Narrative and the World of Epinikian Poetry Page 180 By Simon Hornblower ISBN 0-19-924919-9 The earliest reference to an Athenian proxenos, who lived during the time of the Persian wars (c. 490 BC), is that of Alexander I.Hospitality By Conrad Lashley, Paul Lynch, Alison J. Morrison Page 25 ISBN 0-08-045093-8 Family Alexander had four sons: *King Alcetas II *King Perdiccas II *Prince Philip *Prince Amyntas, who was thought to be the father of Balacrus, father of Meleager and grandfather of Arsinoe of MacedonSatyrus the Peripatetic, FGrH 631 fr 2 Alexander's grandson was Archelaus I. Succession See also *Ancient Macedonians *List of ancient Macedonians References External links * Category:6th-century BC births Category:450 BC deaths Category:Macedonian monarchs Category:Ancient Olympic competitors Category:Ancient Macedonian athletes Category:5th-century BC rulers Category:5th-century BC Macedonians Category:6th-century BC Macedonians Category:Proxenoi Category:Achaemenid Macedon Category:Argead dynasty Category:Battle of Plataea Category:6th-century BC Greek people